Shinde mentor Anand Dighe’s nephew to contest against him as Sena UBT candidate from Kopri Panchpakhadi

The chief minister has cited Anand Dighe as his political mentor and even recently financed a Marathi film called “Dharmaveer-2″ that was based on the late Shiv Sena strongman’s life and Shinde’s proximity with him.

Active in the politics since 2006 in Thane, 43-year-old Kedar has held posts in Yuva Sena, the Sena UBT’s youth wing headed by Aaditya Thackeray.

Kedar’s name, however, never came in the limelight.

After Dighe’s death in 2001, Shinde had taken control of the Shiv Sena in Thane district and built his base and rose up the ranks to become the chief minister after the split in Sena.

Kedar Dighe had twice expressed his wish to contest the Assembly elections but did not get a party ticket, a source said hinting that Shinde had sidelined Kedar in the district unit.

Following Shinde’s rebellion and split in Sena in 2022, Kedar Dighe remained with the Uddhav Sena and was appointed its Thane district head.

Thane is considered as bastion of Shiv Sena after Mumbai. It was the first city in Maharashtra where the party had managed to win civic elections and got its first mayor.

However, the revolt within the party has split the Shiv Sena workers in the district.

According to a Sena UBT functionary, the decision to field Kedar from the seat is an attempt to corner Shinde, who has been using Dighe’s name to garner support of his followers.

“After the rebellion, Uddhav received a major setback in Thane. Except for MP Rajan Vichare and his wife, other senior party leaders and elected representatives joined Shinde Sena,” he said.

“By strategically fielding Kedar against Shinde, Uddhav can counter Shinde’s claim to legacy of Anand Dighe,” the party functionary added.